Clementine (ATQO)
Clementine, affectionately nicknamed Clem, by many of her companions is a mature, kind, and polite girl, she acts as the moral compass of the group, and tries her best to maintain the humanity of the group in a post-apocalyptic world. After losing the people that were the closest to her, Clementine becomes hardened and more mature on her outlook, but still bravely overcomes the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world head-on and tries her best to maintain some of her previous faith in humanity intact and hope, hanging on to what Lee taught her and her own values. Character For only being eleven years old, Clementine displays remarkable intelligence and maturity, presumably due to the seriousness of the environment. When she last attended school, Clementine was in the first grade, which she described as "easy". She is able to be practical and improvise in situations such as helping Lee brace the door with his father's cane when the walkers close in on the drug store. She also picks up on subtle things most children her age would not be bothered by. For example, when Ben was interrogated by Lilly after Lee brought him and his teacher/friend to the motor inn, she quickly drags him away from the argument before he could get pulled in, saving the boy any trouble. Compared to Duck's more oblivious attitude, Clementine is much more aware of the current events going on in the group, such as the power struggle between Lilly and Kenny. As of "Starved For Help", Clementine reveals to Lee that she is aware that her parents are "gone," stating that she'd rather have him lie to her because it is more comforting to hear. However, it is unknown whether she perceives her parents as truly dead or just missing for the time being. She is also a very kind-hearted and polite girl, as she displays adequate manners when talking to the adults. Clementine isn't a conformist and is not afraid to speak out on her mind, believing that everyone should do their best to be a kind Samaritan unless threatened otherwise. Evidently, she disagrees with the group's choice of looting a station wagon full of rations left behind by survivors, claiming that the owners may return for their supplies. However, despite her maturity, Clementine is still relatively innocent in the way children are, for example in "Long Road Ahead", Clementine admits to putting a bug on Duck's pillow and in "Starved for Help" while Katjaa is taking care of Maybelle, she tells Lee to not lick the salt lick and that it's "gross". Lee will ask Clementine, "Did you lick it?" who will reply with, "I don't know." Her view towards how society should react in a zombie apocalypse is often more idealistic than realistic, which can affect her understanding towards a particular event. Even if not agreeing on Lee's choices, or on the way he responds to her, Clementine still sees him as a father figure, trusting him to protect her no matter what happens. It is even possible to see traits on her that resemble what Lee has taught her, not only about survival, but also the way to act towards people. Both having and losing Lee was an important part of Clementine's maturity. After seeing her undead parents, being forced to shoot Lee, and after Omid is shot and killed, Clementine loses whatever childlike innocence she had left. Even after more than a year, these events have clearly changed her. She no longer holds an idealistic or hopeful view of the world, and instead strives only to stay alive. She's much more ready, willing, and able to defend herself from any attackers, though her young age means she has to heavily rely on resourcefulness rather than strength. If the player so chooses, she can also be cold and aggressive to people who do her wrong, even going so far as to resort to blackmail. On the other hand, she can also attempt to appeal to the better nature of people, showing that she still has at least some of her previous faith in humanity intact. Clementine's maturity is something that can be perceived from her by other characters, as it's possible to see when Rebecca and Sarita ask her for advice, and even the way Walter talks to her, considering her mature enough, even for a child, to understand the way life in the apocalypse is. Killed Victims * Stranger * Lee Everett (Out of Mercy) * Winston (Caused) * Sam (Out of Mercy) * Sarita (Caused) Appearances * Amid the Ruins * No Going Back